Double Bass Dark or Bright sounding strings ? wich brands ? how make the difference

[sean_on_bass]

There is so much to this seemingly simple sentence. If I had a dollar for every string I fell in love with for not having that Spiro zing at home alone only to discover that it got buried alive at the first gig and then running back to the spirocore....well, if I had a dollar for every one of those, I could afford a single Dominant.

It's a pretty evil conundrum, honestly! Why can't we just have our cake and eat it too?

 

[Don Hergert]

Sometimes we just have to settle for pie, it can be good too...

I've only used the two low tension synthetic types of strings that have been discussed, and I'm specifically staying away from metal strings, but basically I've accepted that if the strings by themselves don't speak well enough to play clearly along side other instruments, it's time to plug in. That may not work for everyone (ie: orchestra section players), but for the combo situations I play in, it's enough to say if everyone else can't be volume sensitive, it's time to get the bass amp out.

That said, if I ever get a nice wooden bass, you can bet I'll start out playing it with down-tuned Spiro Solo 4/4s, and may possibly then graduate to a set of Weich. And then, no pickups/amps... Mic's and FOH only.